Window regulator



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Aug. 25,I ,19254.4

P. J. NELSON WINDOW REGULATOR Filed Nov. 1o. 1922 2 sheets-sneer 2INVENTOR.

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Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES PAUL J'. NELSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO MOTOR PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WINDOW REGULATOR.

L Application filed November 10, 1922. Serial No. 600,151.

To all whom t may conce/m:

Be it known that I, PAUL J. NELSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, county of Vayne, State of Michigan, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Window Regulators, and declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in window regulators, particularlythose which are used in connection with the slidably mounted windows ofautomobile closed bodies.

The object is to provide an improved connection between the window to beoperated and the operating structure of the regulator, which connectionis simple, durable and eflicient; substantially nois'eless in operation,and prevents rattle and unnecessary play between the window and theoperating mechanism of the regulator while permitting the necessary freemovement of the operating structure. Further, the connection is of sucha character as to absorb or cushion the shock transmitted to the windowby the operating mechanism of the regulator, particularly at thebeginning of the movement of the window, and so transmits the motionfrom the operating parts of the regulator to the window as to insurefree and easy travel of the window during its movement.

The above and other objects, together with the features of constructionand operation will more fully appear from the following description,appended claims and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a closed vehicle bodyshowing my regulator in association with a slidable window disposed inthe body door.

Fig. 2 is a broken away side elevation showing the connection betweenthe window and the operating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 1 -4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a portion of the connection between theregulator and the window.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a window regulator provided with myimprovement.

Fig. 7 is a perspective of a pair of gears in the train showing thelifting ribs.

My invention primarily relates to the connection between the window andthe operating structure of the regulator rather than the regulatoroperating mechanism itself; which latter mechanism is described in theUnited States application of Orson G. Burch, Serial Number 57 0,609,filed J une 24:, 1922, and though my regulator is here shown inassociation with the slidable window of a closed body, obviously itmight be used wherever desired.

The specific type of window-operating mechanism in connection with whichI have shown my invention is that described in the pending applicationof Burch, above referred to. However, it is understood that my inventionis not limited to windowoperating mechanism of this specific character.Briefly, this operating mechanism comprises a casing 13 within which ismounted a train of gears 12. These gears are driven by a pinion 20 whichis actuated by a hand crank 111 that is conveniently disposed for manualoperation interior the body. One side of the casing is out away toprovide a sinn-ous guideway 13a.

Each gear is provided with a pair of radially-extending lifting ribs 21which are adapted to align with the lifting ribs of the adjoining gearwhen in a certain position.

Mounted within the sinuous guideway 13a is a traveller which is adaptedto be passed along from one gear to the other to raise the window, whichtraveller is provided with a pair of plates 22 held together by a pintle23. Mounted upon one end of the pintle is a roller 15 which engages thewindow to raise and lower the same. Mounted upon the other end of thepintle and the opposite side of the plates is a roller 24 which isengaged by the lifting ribs 21 of the successive gears in the train toactuate the traveller so that the traveller is passed along from onegear to another. The plates are disposed to engage opposite sides of thecasing at the margin of the guideway to hold the traveller to travelthrough the guideway.

The regulator is a self-contained unit and is disposed in the well ofthe door panel 12 into which well the window 11 is adapted to be loweredand from which it is raised by the operation of the regulator to closethe opening at the top of the well.

It will be seen that in the travel up and down in the raisinn andlowering of the window, this roller follows an angular course or it maybe termed a Zig-zag path as indicated by the slot 13LL appearing in oneside of the gear casing in Fig. 2,

The usual connection between the roller and the window so that thewindow will travel with the roller, is to provide a forked member orslot in the lower sash of the window within which slot this roller isdisposed so as to have a permitted lateral movement in the slot as thewindow is raised or lowered. Both arms of this forked member are rigidand there is necessarily a certain amount of play up and down of theroller therein. The roller is generally positioned in t-he slot from theside, the slotbeing sufficient oversize the roller to permit theinsertion of the roller therein. The roller may, however, be inserted inthe slot from the end. In either way there is of necessity a permittedvertical play of the roller in the slot, the objectionable character ofwhich is particularly noticeable at the beginning of the movement of thewindow, in the knock of the roller against the lower sash rail in theraising of the window, and a similar knock against the lower portion ofthe guide member within which the roller travels at the beginning of theoperation to lower the window. If t-he window does not travel evenly andfreely, this knocking may occur at intervals throughout the movement ofthe window up or down. It has also happened that when the roller isinserted from the side in the slot and the window is not mountedcarefullyl or the regulator is not properly installed that the rollerwill become disengaged from the slot and the window sash.

My invention resides in the provision of an improved type of connectionbetween the window and the roller. I have here shown the roller asengaged with a window retaining member 16, which retaining member ishere shown as the lower sash rail which supports the window pane formovement in the provided guide-way in the frame. The lower edge of thisretaining member 16 is rounded to engage the grooved face of the roller.The other portion of the guide-way against which the roller acts inlowering the window is held under limited yielding constraint againstthe roller, the same being supported by the retaining member.

This other portion of the guide-way is in the form of a strap 17 whichmay be turned out of sheet metal as shown in Fig. 5 with a rounded faceto engage the roller on the side opposite that engaged with the loweredge of the window sash. This strap is yieldingly supported at oppositeends below the retaining member 16. This retaining member carries twodepending pins 18 which pass through apertures 2O in the ends of thestrap so as to permit of vertical movement of the strap thereon.Encircling each pin below the strap is a spiral spring 19 which holdsthe strap upwardly yieldin gly against the roller. The roller is therebyclamped yieldingly between the strap and the retaining member in suchmanner as to prevent any vertical rattle of the roller between the strapand retaining member while permitting lateral movement of the rollerwithin the provided guide-way. At the beginning of the movement to closethe window the strap may yield downwardly to cushion the shock of theroller upon the window in case there is much resistance ottered by thewindow.

that I claim is:

1. In a window regulator, in combination with a window, a movable windowsupporting member, window operating means having a roller arranged toreciprocate through an angular course in operating the window, saidsupporting member provided with a retaining guide-way within which saidroller travels in opening and closing the window, and means holding onearm of said guide-way yieldingly toward the other to limit the relativemovement of the roller laterally therein.

2. In a window regulator, in combination with a slidably mounted windowpane, a movable window supporting member, window operating means havinga roller arranged to reciprocate through an angular course in operatingthe window, said supporting member provided with a retaining guide-wayfor said roller within which the roller is disposed for reciprocaltravel in the opening and closing of the window, one arm of saidguide-way being rigid with the window-supporting member and the otherarm of said guide-way being held yieldingly on opposite sides of saidroller toward said rigid arm to restrain lateral play of the rollerbetween said arms.

3. In a window regulator, the combination with a slidably supportedwindow, of window operating mechanism provided with a roller adapted totravel through an angular course in operating the window, and connectingmeans engaging said roller with the window to operate the same,comprising a guide-way for the roller, one side of which guide-way isrigid with the window and the other side of which guide-way is heldunder yielding spring tension toward the roller.

4t. In a window regulator, window operating mechanism having a windowlifting member adapted to be raised and lowered,

a movably supported window, a retaining plate secured to the lower edgeof the window and provided with a guideway within which the liftingmember of the operating mechanism travels in the raising and lower- 1Umechanism having a lifting member adapted to be raised and lowered, amovably supported window, a window supporting member secured to thewindow provided with a guideway extending transversely the path oftravelof the window adapted to receive said lifting member, the lower side ofsaid guideway held yieldingly in engagement with the lifting membertoward the other side of the guideway.

6. In a window regulator, in combination with a movable window having asupporting plate secured to the lower edge thereof, window operatingmechanism provided with a window lifting member adapted to be raised andlowered and arranged to be held yieldingly in contact with saidsupporting plate to travel back and forth thereover and transversely thepath of travel of the window in the raising and lowering of the window.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

PAUL J. NELSON.

